Chinese President Hu Jintao is likely to get a warm reception Wednesday at the White House state dinner, but public views of China are less than gleaming, fueled by an undercurrent of economic anxiety.

Evaluations of President Obama's handling of the shootings in Tucson are highly positive across the political spectrum, with nearly eight in 10 giving him high marks for his response to the incident. Even 71 percent of Republicans say they approve of his leadership following the shootings. But reactions to Sarah Palin's handling were more measured.

Despite high public expectations that Barack Obama's presidency would improve race relations in the country, barely more than a third of all Americans now say his tenure has made things better in this area, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.